Teen Making $300/Month Selling Digital Templates on Etsy

The Story

Hey,

Today’s story is about a 17-year-old who built a simple side hustle from his bedroom — creating digital templates on Etsy — and now earns around $300/month completely passively.

It began accidentally.

He noticed how students and small business owners struggled with basic things like resumes, planners, invoices, and social media posts. Everyone needed them… but most people didn’t know how to design them.

So he opened Canva, created a few clean templates, and uploaded them to Etsy.

No design degree.
No special software.
Just simple templates anyone could use.

At first, nothing happened.
But he kept uploading — 5… 10… 20 templates.

Then one day, a “Minimal Modern Resume Template” started getting attention.
Then a weekly planner.
Then a content calendar.

Slowly, the store grew.

Today, he has around 140 digital templates and earns $300/month from:

• Resume templates

• Social media packs

• Planners

• Business card layouts

• Invoice templates

He only made each template once, but they sell forever.

That’s the magic of digital products.

No shipping.
No inventory.
No customer service nightmares.
Just downloads.

And here’s the best part:

Most of his designs came from Canva, a tool anyone can use for free.

Here’s How You Can Do This

1. Pick a Small Problem to Solve

Look at what people constantly search for:

• Resume templates

• Fitness planners

• Budget sheets

• Wedding invitations

• Instagram post packs

Go through Etsy → type “template” → check what has high reviews and low competition.

Choose something simple that people need over and over.

2. Create 5–10 Templates Fast

Use Canva (free).
Search for existing layouts → customize → download as PDF or PNG.

Create small bundles like:

• “3-in-1 Resume Pack”

• “Daily + Weekly Planner Set”

• “Instagram Pack for Small Businesses”

Simple sells better than complex.

3. Upload to Etsy With Smart Titles

Use keywords people already search:

• “Minimal Resume Template”

• “Editable Planner Printable”

• “Small Business Social Media Kit”

Add 7–10 images showing the preview.
The more clean and aesthetic, the better.

4. Monetize With Passive Structure

Etsy charges a tiny fee per listing.
Your income comes from:

• template sales

• bundles

• upsells (“Get all 40 templates for $12”)

You only design once → it sells for months.

5. Promote Through Social Media + SEO

Post on:

• TikTok (show templates in 5-second clips)

• Pinterest (templates go viral here)

• Instagram Reels (speed design videos)

For SEO:
Use long titles like:
“Editable Modern Resume Template | Google Docs + Canva | Professional CV Layout”

These rank extremely well inside Etsy search.

One laptop.
One free design tool.
One Etsy store.

You can do the same. But its need more research to do. its a plan just but to be success you have to fail again and learn again

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